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OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
Daniel’s Schoolhouse Engagement
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
Union Gen. Edward E. Potter and a cavalry battalion occupied Tarboro
about 9 A.M. on July 20, 1863, after driving off Confederate cavalrymen who
had come from the direction of Hamilton. Potter ordered Maj. Floyd Clark-son,
12th New York Cavalry, to block the Hamilton road about a mile east
of the Tar River bridge. Clarkson, with three cavalry companies and a
howitzer, first burned two vessels in the river near the bridge. About four
miles from Tarboro, near Daniel’s Schoolhouse, he clashed with Maj. John
T. Kennedy and three companies of the 62nd Georgia Cavalry from Fort
Branch. After a couple
of charges and a
few shots from the
howitzer, Clarkson
retreated to Tarboro in
the face of sharp Con-federate
fire. Federal
casualties numbered
6 dead, 14 wounded,
and 18 captured.
Maj. George W. Cole led three
companies of the 3rd New York
Cavalry across the river to assist
Clarkson. A mile east of Tar-boro,
however, Cole encountered
Confederate Lt. Col. John C.
Lamb, who had marched from
Fort Branch with two companies
of the 17th North Carolina Infantry and a two-gun section of the Peters-burg
Artillery. Cole and Lamb exchanged small-arms and cannon fire, and
Cole withdrew. The Federals left Tarboro about 5 P.M., partially burned
the Tar River bridge, and began the march back to New Bern.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward
Kinston and returned to New Bern. Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged or destroyed bridges, trains,
munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates restored rail service by Aug. 1.
The Blount-Bridgers House, con-structed
here for Thomas Blount in
the Federal style about 1808, was later
the home of Lt. Col. John L. Bridgers
(1821–1884). As a captain, Bridgers
served with distinction in the 1st
North Carolina Volunteers during the
Battle of Big Bethel on June 10, 1861.
He commanded the garrison at Fort
Macon on the Outer Banks that fall.
His brother, Robert R. Bridgers,
served in the Confederate Congress
Lt. Col. John Bridgers Congressman Robert Bridgers until the end of the war.
Gen. Edward E. Potter
– Courtesy U.S.A.M.H.I.
WIL MINGTON AND WE L D ON RR
ATL ANTI C AND N C RR
ROANOKERIVER
TARRIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little ContentneaCreek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Potter’s Raid from New Bern
to Rocky Mount and Tarboro
Maj. John T. Kennedy Maj. George W. Cole
OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
“All were burned …”
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
On July 20, 1863, after bivouacking in the village
of Sparta south of here, Gen. Edward E. Potter
occupied Tarboro with a battalion of New York
cavalrymen. A wealthy Tar River town and trad-ing
center surrounded by productive plantations,
Tarboro played a piv-otal
role in providing
foodstuffs, medicine,
and military supplies
to Gen. Robert E.
Lee’s Army of North-ern
Virginia. Potter
later reported that he
“found an iron-clad
on the stocks and two
steamboats on the
river. The iron-clad
[similar to the ram Albemarle] was of the Merri-mac
model, and her frame was very heavy and
solid. All were burned, together with some
railroad cars, 100 bales of cotton, [and]
quartermaster’s subsistence, and
ordnance stores.” Soldiers plundered
private homes, the Masonic Lodge,
the Bank of Tarboro, and other businesses for
valuables. The Federals marched south in the
evening back through Sparta toward New
Bern after the engagement at Daniel’s
Schoolhouse a few miles east of here.
They set the Tar River bridge afire behind
them, but townspeople extinguished it
before it sustained extensive damage.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington
and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward Kinston and returned to New Bern.
Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged
or destroyed bridges, trains, munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates
restored rail service by Aug. 1.
Civil War-era Edgecombe Court-house,
demolished 1963 – Courtesy
Edgecombe Co. Memorial Library
The historic town common was
laid out when Tarboro was
incorporated in 1760. During the
Civil War, two Confederate hos-pitals
stood here in the old Male
and Female Academies, as well
as a Confederate prison stock-ade
for Union soldiers captured
at the Battle of Plymouth in
April 1864. The Wyatt Fountain
here was erected after the war
in honor of Pvt. Henry Lawson
Wyatt, a Tarboro resident. Killed
at the Battle of Big Bethel on
June 10, 1861, he became the first
North Carolinian known to have
died in battle during the war.
W I L M I N G T O N A N D W E L D O N RR
A T L A N T I C A N D N C R R
ROANOKERIVER
TAR RIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little Contentnea Creek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Henry Lawson Wyatt
Potter’s Raid from New Bern to Rocky Mount and Tarboro Courtesy North Carolina State Library
Gen. Edward E. Potter
Courtesy U.S. Army Military History Institute

OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
Daniel’s Schoolhouse Engagement
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
Union Gen. Edward E. Potter and a cavalry battalion occupied Tarboro
about 9 A.M. on July 20, 1863, after driving off Confederate cavalrymen who
had come from the direction of Hamilton. Potter ordered Maj. Floyd Clark-son,
12th New York Cavalry, to block the Hamilton road about a mile east
of the Tar River bridge. Clarkson, with three cavalry companies and a
howitzer, first burned two vessels in the river near the bridge. About four
miles from Tarboro, near Daniel’s Schoolhouse, he clashed with Maj. John
T. Kennedy and three companies of the 62nd Georgia Cavalry from Fort
Branch. After a couple
of charges and a
few shots from the
howitzer, Clarkson
retreated to Tarboro in
the face of sharp Con-federate
fire. Federal
casualties numbered
6 dead, 14 wounded,
and 18 captured.
Maj. George W. Cole led three
companies of the 3rd New York
Cavalry across the river to assist
Clarkson. A mile east of Tar-boro,
however, Cole encountered
Confederate Lt. Col. John C.
Lamb, who had marched from
Fort Branch with two companies
of the 17th North Carolina Infantry and a two-gun section of the Peters-burg
Artillery. Cole and Lamb exchanged small-arms and cannon fire, and
Cole withdrew. The Federals left Tarboro about 5 P.M., partially burned
the Tar River bridge, and began the march back to New Bern.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward
Kinston and returned to New Bern. Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged or destroyed bridges, trains,
munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates restored rail service by Aug. 1.
The Blount-Bridgers House, con-structed
here for Thomas Blount in
the Federal style about 1808, was later
the home of Lt. Col. John L. Bridgers
(1821–1884). As a captain, Bridgers
served with distinction in the 1st
North Carolina Volunteers during the
Battle of Big Bethel on June 10, 1861.
He commanded the garrison at Fort
Macon on the Outer Banks that fall.
His brother, Robert R. Bridgers,
served in the Confederate Congress
Lt. Col. John Bridgers Congressman Robert Bridgers until the end of the war.
Gen. Edward E. Potter
– Courtesy U.S.A.M.H.I.
WIL MINGTON AND WE L D ON RR
ATL ANTI C AND N C RR
ROANOKERIVER
TARRIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little ContentneaCreek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Potter’s Raid from New Bern
to Rocky Mount and Tarboro
Maj. John T. Kennedy Maj. George W. Cole
OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
“All were burned …”
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
On July 20, 1863, after bivouacking in the village
of Sparta south of here, Gen. Edward E. Potter
occupied Tarboro with a battalion of New York
cavalrymen. A wealthy Tar River town and trad-ing
center surrounded by productive plantations,
Tarboro played a piv-otal
role in providing
foodstuffs, medicine,
and military supplies
to Gen. Robert E.
Lee’s Army of North-ern
Virginia. Potter
later reported that he
“found an iron-clad
on the stocks and two
steamboats on the
river. The iron-clad
[similar to the ram Albemarle] was of the Merri-mac
model, and her frame was very heavy and
solid. All were burned, together with some
railroad cars, 100 bales of cotton, [and]
quartermaster’s subsistence, and
ordnance stores.” Soldiers plundered
private homes, the Masonic Lodge,
the Bank of Tarboro, and other businesses for
valuables. The Federals marched south in the
evening back through Sparta toward New
Bern after the engagement at Daniel’s
Schoolhouse a few miles east of here.
They set the Tar River bridge afire behind
them, but townspeople extinguished it
before it sustained extensive damage.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington
and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward Kinston and returned to New Bern.
Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged
or destroyed bridges, trains, munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates
restored rail service by Aug. 1.
Civil War-era Edgecombe Court-house,
demolished 1963 – Courtesy
Edgecombe Co. Memorial Library
The historic town common was
laid out when Tarboro was
incorporated in 1760. During the
Civil War, two Confederate hos-pitals
stood here in the old Male
and Female Academies, as well
as a Confederate prison stock-ade
for Union soldiers captured
at the Battle of Plymouth in
April 1864. The Wyatt Fountain
here was erected after the war
in honor of Pvt. Henry Lawson
Wyatt, a Tarboro resident. Killed
at the Battle of Big Bethel on
June 10, 1861, he became the first
North Carolinian known to have
died in battle during the war.
W I L M I N G T O N A N D W E L D O N RR
A T L A N T I C A N D N C R R
ROANOKERIVER
TAR RIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little Contentnea Creek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Henry Lawson Wyatt
Potter’s Raid from New Bern to Rocky Mount and Tarboro Courtesy North Carolina State Library
Gen. Edward E. Potter
Courtesy U.S. Army Military History Institute

OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
Daniel’s Schoolhouse Engagement
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
Union Gen. Edward E. Potter and a cavalry battalion occupied Tarboro
about 9 A.M. on July 20, 1863, after driving off Confederate cavalrymen who
had come from the direction of Hamilton. Potter ordered Maj. Floyd Clark-son,
12th New York Cavalry, to block the Hamilton road about a mile east
of the Tar River bridge. Clarkson, with three cavalry companies and a
howitzer, first burned two vessels in the river near the bridge. About four
miles from Tarboro, near Daniel’s Schoolhouse, he clashed with Maj. John
T. Kennedy and three companies of the 62nd Georgia Cavalry from Fort
Branch. After a couple
of charges and a
few shots from the
howitzer, Clarkson
retreated to Tarboro in
the face of sharp Con-federate
fire. Federal
casualties numbered
6 dead, 14 wounded,
and 18 captured.
Maj. George W. Cole led three
companies of the 3rd New York
Cavalry across the river to assist
Clarkson. A mile east of Tar-boro,
however, Cole encountered
Confederate Lt. Col. John C.
Lamb, who had marched from
Fort Branch with two companies
of the 17th North Carolina Infantry and a two-gun section of the Peters-burg
Artillery. Cole and Lamb exchanged small-arms and cannon fire, and
Cole withdrew. The Federals left Tarboro about 5 P.M., partially burned
the Tar River bridge, and began the march back to New Bern.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward
Kinston and returned to New Bern. Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged or destroyed bridges, trains,
munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates restored rail service by Aug. 1.
The Blount-Bridgers House, con-structed
here for Thomas Blount in
the Federal style about 1808, was later
the home of Lt. Col. John L. Bridgers
(1821–1884). As a captain, Bridgers
served with distinction in the 1st
North Carolina Volunteers during the
Battle of Big Bethel on June 10, 1861.
He commanded the garrison at Fort
Macon on the Outer Banks that fall.
His brother, Robert R. Bridgers,
served in the Confederate Congress
Lt. Col. John Bridgers Congressman Robert Bridgers until the end of the war.
Gen. Edward E. Potter
– Courtesy U.S.A.M.H.I.
WIL MINGTON AND WE L D ON RR
ATL ANTI C AND N C RR
ROANOKERIVER
TARRIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little ContentneaCreek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Potter’s Raid from New Bern
to Rocky Mount and Tarboro
Maj. John T. Kennedy Maj. George W. Cole
OCCUPATION OF TARBORO
★ ★ ★
“All were burned …”
P O T T E R ’ S R A I D
On July 20, 1863, after bivouacking in the village
of Sparta south of here, Gen. Edward E. Potter
occupied Tarboro with a battalion of New York
cavalrymen. A wealthy Tar River town and trad-ing
center surrounded by productive plantations,
Tarboro played a piv-otal
role in providing
foodstuffs, medicine,
and military supplies
to Gen. Robert E.
Lee’s Army of North-ern
Virginia. Potter
later reported that he
“found an iron-clad
on the stocks and two
steamboats on the
river. The iron-clad
[similar to the ram Albemarle] was of the Merri-mac
model, and her frame was very heavy and
solid. All were burned, together with some
railroad cars, 100 bales of cotton, [and]
quartermaster’s subsistence, and
ordnance stores.” Soldiers plundered
private homes, the Masonic Lodge,
the Bank of Tarboro, and other businesses for
valuables. The Federals marched south in the
evening back through Sparta toward New
Bern after the engagement at Daniel’s
Schoolhouse a few miles east of here.
They set the Tar River bridge afire behind
them, but townspeople extinguished it
before it sustained extensive damage.
On July 18, 1863, Union Gen. Edward E. Potter led infantry and cavalry from New Bern to destroy the Wilmington
and Weldon Railroad bridge at Rocky Mount. The infantry feinted toward Kinston and returned to New Bern.
Potter raided Greenville, then sent part of his cavalry to Rocky Mount and occupied Tarboro. The raiders damaged
or destroyed bridges, trains, munitions, and mills before returning to New Bern on July 23, but the Confederates
restored rail service by Aug. 1.
Civil War-era Edgecombe Court-house,
demolished 1963 – Courtesy
Edgecombe Co. Memorial Library
The historic town common was
laid out when Tarboro was
incorporated in 1760. During the
Civil War, two Confederate hos-pitals
stood here in the old Male
and Female Academies, as well
as a Confederate prison stock-ade
for Union soldiers captured
at the Battle of Plymouth in
April 1864. The Wyatt Fountain
here was erected after the war
in honor of Pvt. Henry Lawson
Wyatt, a Tarboro resident. Killed
at the Battle of Big Bethel on
June 10, 1861, he became the first
North Carolinian known to have
died in battle during the war.
W I L M I N G T O N A N D W E L D O N RR
A T L A N T I C A N D N C R R
ROANOKERIVER
TAR RIVER
NE USE
RIVER
Little Contentnea Creek
Hamilton
Kinston
Rocky Mount
Fort Branch
Sparta
Snow Hill
GOLDSBORO
Princeville
Potter’s Raid Site
Other Civil War Trails Site
ContentneaCreek
Swift
Creek
Village
You Are Here
New Bern
Greenville
Scuffleton
Bridge
Hookerton
Falkland
Black
Jack
St. John’s
Church
Grimsley’s
Church
Henry Lawson Wyatt
Potter’s Raid from New Bern to Rocky Mount and Tarboro Courtesy North Carolina State Library
Gen. Edward E. Potter
Courtesy U.S. Army Military History Institute